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A's Pitching Desperation Signified in Recent Move
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- A's Pitching Desperation Signified in Recent Move
(Scott Marshall-Imagn Images)
The A's are so shorthanded that they have brought up right-hander Yunior Tur for a second stint with the big-league club since the All-Star break. He's made two appearances for the club, giving up 14 runs in 2 ⅔ innings, leading to a 47.25 ERA.
Part of the reason Tur was optioned is that he wasn't locating his pitches, while another reason is that he was believed to be tipping his pitches.
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In two outings in the minor leagues since his demotion, Tur has continued to struggle, giving up 11 earned runs across another 2 ⅔ while walking seven batters. This is who the A's must turn to when they need relief help in the big leagues.
After Jack Perkins (2-8, 7.04 ERA) went just three innings and gave up five runs against the Boston Red Sox , the A's needed to run through a lot of their bullpen. With the A's playing on the East Coast this weekend, they had time to scratch Tur from his scheduled Triple-A start Friday and call him back up on Saturday morning.
"Yunior's fully available," A's manager Mark Kotsay said before the game. "He's a guy that we had to bring up because we're in a situation from a bullpen standpoint that we need length in case something happens in this game that we don't foresee. Yunior has been with us. He's a kid with a big arm. Has some command issues at times. Sometimes, with us, he's thrown the ball in the center of the plate and been hurt."
Tur hasn't exactly shown that he's ready to be a big-league pitcher at this point, but with the entire pitching staff being a question mark most days, just having a fresh arm available to eat innings can be valuable. Tur threw 56 pitches in his last appearance with the Aviators.
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Zack Gelof Nearing Return
It sounds as though the A's could be getting Gelof back when they return home next week. The 26-year-old began his rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A Las Vegas, and in his three games thus far he has gone 3-for-10 with a home run and four RBI.
The original plan had been for him to get between 20-25 at-bats on this rehab stint, but ahead of Saturday's game in Boston, Kotsay said Gelof would play for the Aviators that night, with the team assessing his status afterward.
Kotsay said Gelof could return to the club on the homestand. Given the original timeline of 20-25 at-bats, that could be a couple of games into the homestand, or they could look to bring him back on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays for an added boost.
